We are here in the world of fairy tales, where dreams and wishes can become reality. Eldoria Academy is responsible for teaching and educating the children of our favorite fairy-tale characters.

And today marks the beginning of a new school year for our students. And... just look! Aurélia is already excited about her first day of school. The daughter of Sleeping Beauty, as always, focuses on studying her ancestors.

“Ah! I can't wait any longer! I'm so excited to see her!” the girl exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

“Hahaha! You're really in love with that clumsy pirate, aren't you?!” said the daughter of the Evil Queen in an enthusiastic tone.

As she walked alongside her best friend, Aurélia accidentally bumped into a tall figure with wavy hair and red streaks, light brown eyes, and beautifully tanned skin. When the girl realized who the blonde-haired girl was, she immediately blushed.

“Ah!! Good morning, Aurélia!” the girl said in surprise.

“Ah... yeah...”

“Good morning, Jamie! What are you planning to do with those colorful water balloons?!” Mirela asked playfully, noticing how embarrassed her friend was.

“Well... I'm just waiting for my brother to walk by so I can throw these balloons at him. A little revenge for ratting me out to the principal,” she said with a pout.

Amid cheerful laughter, Jamie left to find the perfect spot to carry out her little "revenge" against her older brother.

“You really need to stop freezing up every time you see her,” Mirela said with a gentle smile as they continued walking.

“I can't help it. She's way too beautiful for my brain to process anything,” Aurélia replied, sounding frustrated, her cheeks slightly flushed.

When they arrived in the classroom, Professor Baba Yaga was writing on the blackboard, welcoming the students.

“Well, students, this is our reunion after such a long time apart. Let's begin our high school year. And before I forget... Miss Winterrose!” she said sternly, looking directly at the girl with long black hair.

“Yes, Professor Baba Yaga?!” Lívia answered, her voice tense, although it was difficult to notice.

“You will be responsible for welcoming the new Charming, who will arrive tomorrow. As the future queen, you must learn how to welcome newcomers!” the woman said, looking at her seriously.

Despite being the perfect princess and next in line for the throne, Lívia Winterrose, daughter of Queen Snow White, couldn't stand the idea of being forced to become the perfect girl. Because of this, she felt enormous social pressure.

The girl with red lips only wanted a chance to be herself, and that was something she could only experience during the rare moments she spent with her friends. After all, she was always busy with duties and demanding lessons to prepare her to become the next queen, something she couldn't stand either.

The thought of having so many responsibilities at just sixteen years old wore her down mentally every single day. But, as her mother always said:

"Be strong, but never lose the kindness in your heart, even if it means pretending to be someone you are not."

"Wow! Lívia, you're going to welcome another prince?! That must be exhausting. What is it now, the seventh?!" commented Cinderella's daughter.

"She always agrees, even though it's obvious she doesn't want to do it," said King Charming's son with a serious expression.

"Oh, Prince Caelum! What a surprise to see you here!" Elara said upon noticing the young man.

Although they weren't particularly close, Lívia knew the blond young man was right. She much preferred spending her free time with animals, reading books, or wandering around the enchanted garden rather than welcoming new students every other minute!

"Despite everything, I can't break the rules," said the girl with the red ribbon, her voice gentle but melancholic.

(...)

The days at the academy were always filled with the same excitement. Well... at least until a certain Charming arrived at the academy. And that caused quite a stir among the staff!

Upon noticing the royal carriage approaching, Headmistress Olivia Grimm quickly rushed to the Enchanted Orchard dormitory, where the princess dressed in red was staying.

With just one glance, Lívia understood the older woman's excitement. And so, the two immediately headed to the academy entrance to welcome the new Charming.

As soon as the carriage arrived, a tall figure stepped out. He had a handsome, youthful face despite his advanced age, along with a stern and cold expression.

"Oh! Mr. Charming, welcome to the academy!" the woman said cheerfully, as though his cold gaze didn't frighten her at all.

And it truly didn't. Because when the King saw the older woman, his intimidating expression immediately changed.

"Olivia! It's been so long! I've missed you during all this time apart," the King said with a smile.

"Hahaha! You haven't changed at all, have you?" the headmistress asked playfully.

"Not one bit, and..."

Before he could continue, a feminine figure appeared behind the older man, making him tense up.

"That's enough! Erick, we're here for a much more important matter, not for a reunion. So focus on what really matters!" said the woman with long hair and a stern expression.

Unlike her husband, Queen Charming took pending matters very seriously. She never allowed anything to distract her from what truly mattered or interfere with her goals as a member of the royal bloodline.

"And so, where is the next heir, Your Majesty?" Olivia asked formally, eager to meet the academy's new prince.

"Ah... Well, she isn't an heir..." the King replied nervously.

"Hm?! What do you mean?" Olivia asked, completely confused.

After taking a deep breath, the King asked his daughter to step outside and greet the two women.

When Lívia realized that the newcomer was a beautiful young lady, she felt as though her entire world had turned upside down.

The girl standing before her was around her age, but taller, and she immediately took Lívia's breath away.

The beautiful young lady had eyes as dark as the night, dark wavy hair, radiant brown skin, and lips as red as blood.

She wore a dark blue dress with a front slit and golden and red details. A golden tiara adorned her head, with a blue ribbon at its tip, accompanied by blue jewelry. Her boots were also blue with golden details, and around her neck was a blue choker bearing the royal insignia.

For some unknown reason, the person standing before her made her heart skip a beat. The young girl couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful Charming.

"Oh! So she's a beautiful young lady. I'm surprised, Erick. Your father always wanted a male heir. I can only imagine how he reacted to this," the headmistress commented. Her voice sounded nervous, as she had expected a young man and had hoped that the future queen would find her perfect prince.

After all, King Charming II was famous for having the finest knights in the royal line of succession, and Queen Winterrose wanted someone truly worthy of her daughter's hand!

"Stop staring like that, Elowen! Greet them," the Queen said in a tone so stern that not only her daughter but everyone around her could feel its harshness.

"Hehe! Darling, how about we let the girls take a tour of the academy and get to know each other better? That way, Elowen can make a friend right away!" the King suggested, his expression tense and a crooked smile on his lips.

"Hmph! Very well, Lord Leon! Please have my daughter's luggage taken to her dormitory," the Queen said coldly, gesturing toward the servants.

"Well... We have a room in the West Dormitory. Miss Elowen can stay there."

"Oh, wonderful! The West Dormitory... I remember it very well. That's where my best friend and I used to stay," the Queen said, finally sounding cheerful.

And so it was arranged. The adults made their way to the headmistress's office to catch up or discuss other matters.

Meanwhile, Lívia stood there feeling tense, nervous, and restless, experiencing something she had never felt before.

The mysterious-looking girl walked ahead of her, observing every corner and every beautiful view around the academy. Her dark eyes sparkled with every step she took.

And how could she not be enchanted?

Inside, the academy had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, snow-white walls, and a light marble floor decorated with golden details. At its center stood a large academy emblem: a crown surrounding an eight-pointed star.

The walls were decorated with enormous portraits of ancient masters, founders, and legendary fairy-tale characters!

Elowen was completely fascinated by it all, as she had never imagined that Eldoria could be so magical.

"Wow! This place really is enchanting," the girl said, her eyes sparkling and her voice gentle, as if she were watching a fairy tale come to life.

"Did you think Eldoria was some terrible place?" the daughter of the Queen asked with a slight smile.

Elowen laughed at the question. Her smile made the young princess feel a pleasant kind of embarrassment, rather than discomfort.

"Honestly, I didn't want to come here, because the thought of being trapped somewhere else without the freedom I deserve was terrifying!" the beautiful young lady in blue explained.

"But... now it doesn't seem so frightening anymore," she added, gazing into the young princess's beautiful brown eyes.

As their gazes lingered, our young heiress to the kingdom of Everlour felt her cheeks growing warm far too quickly. In her thoughts, the beautiful young lady wondered why this kept happening whenever the young Charming came near her.

"Ah... Well, I suppose you'd like to see...!"

Before she could finish her sentence, a small water balloon hit Elowen right in the face.

The scene left Lívia completely shocked. Realizing who had committed such an act of disrespect, the girl quickly turned around to scold the culprit.

"Seriously, Jamie?! She's the new student!" she said sternly.

"Hahaha! I know, but I couldn't miss the opportunity, could I, Elowen?"

The young girl with dark eyes laughed calmly, looking directly into the eyes of the dark-skinned pirate.

"You haven't changed one bit, have you?" she said softly, with the expression of someone seeing an old friend again.

"Wait... You two know each other?!" Lívia asked, looking confused.

"Of course! This idiot has been my friend since childhood. We used to train together and were practically inseparable," Jamie explained excitedly.

The two exchanged a gentle glance, revealing how much they had missed each other during the years they had been apart.

As she watched the young pirate interact with the beautiful Charming, Lívia felt a strange heaviness in her chest. Feelings she had never experienced before began to emerge with Elowen's arrival. It completely unsettled her, as these were unfamiliar emotions, far removed from the life she was used to living as the perfect princess.

After the reunion between the two friends, the rest of the tour was peaceful. The daughter of the famous pirate from the fairy tales was strangely calm, without any excitement, jokes, or pranks. She simply followed the two girls in silence.

This made Lívia uneasy, as it was the first time she had ever seen Jamie behaving so well.

At the end of their walk, the girls arrived at the royal dormitories. Here, every prince and princess had their own dormitory according to their royal lineage.

After stopping in front of the Charming dormitory, Elowen said goodbye to her friends. However, as she looked at the large door before her, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Still, since she wouldn't be able to change rooms until the following day, the young girl simply sighed and stepped inside, where she met her roommate, Elisa Rosevale, daughter of Queen Rosevale, known as Beauty from the tale Beauty and the Beast.

As soon as she spotted the young Charming, Elisa greeted her as pleasantly as possible, wearing a smile that showed all her teeth.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Charming," she said enthusiastically but gently, accompanied by a small curtsy.

"Uh... You don't have to curtsy, haha. I don't think that's necessary!" Elowen said, placing a hand around the back of her neck.

"As you wish, Miss..."

"Elowen. You can just call me Elowen," she said with a beautiful smile.

"Very well, Elowen," Elisa replied with a friendly smile.

(...)

As night fell over the kingdom of Everlour, everyone returned to their dormitories, as the curfew bell had already rung.

Inside the royal dormitory, Elowen threw herself onto her soft bed, feeling all the tension from the busy day immediately fade away.

However, a whisper awakened the young girl. Something outside her window wouldn't stop calling her name.

Rather than ignore the strange voice, the curious girl rose from her comfortable bed to discover what the mysterious voice wanted.

However, as she approached the glass window, she was startled by a figure with red eyes and a black hood.

Mysterious claws grabbed her from behind, while the animal-like figure before her appeared with blood on its hands, spilling the liquid over the girl.

"Drink the blood of your own kin and become the next heir to the Thorn Crown!" the creature declared, firmly gripping her jaw to force the young girl to drink the blood it itself called "Kin Blood."

When she opened her eyes again, the girl felt a slight heaviness in her body.

Had that really happened?

What was "Kin Blood"?

And who were the figures holding her?

Fear, uncertainty, and unanswered questions invaded the mind of the Charming girl that night.

But what truly frightened her was seeing the same animal-like creature outside her dormitory window.

Its red eyes, the blood running down its arm, a smile revealing large, sharp fangs, and beside it, the body of an unfamiliar young man.

That devilish image sent a terrifying chill through her body.

Realizing that the creature was watching her, the young girl immediately hid, quickly crouching down.

When she looked outside again, she could no longer see the terrifying creature.

It had vanished like vapor.

With her heart pounding, the young girl tried to process what had happened, but even she couldn't imagine what might be going on.

"What was that?!"